The Dandy Warhols' formation in Portland, Oregon in 1993 has been described by front man Courtney Taylor-Taylor as as a group of friends who "needed music to drink to." Initially consisting of Taylor-Taylor (vocals, guitar), Zia McCabe (keyboard), Peter Holmström (guitar), and Eric Hedford (drums), the band's name is a play on the name of pop artist Andy Warhol. After performing live shows in Portland's bars, they released debut album, "Dandys Rule, OK?" on Tim Kerr Records in 1995. However, it wasn't until after the release of their sophomore LP, "Come Down" in 1997 that the band achieved success across the pond, lead single "Not If You Were The Last Junkie on Earth" proved popular in many countries across Europe, and the Dandys, popular both visually and sonically, gained a reputation throughout Europe and Australia for selling out their live shows. However, Hedford left the following year, and Taylor-Taylor's cousin Brent De Boer replaced him as drummer.

Following the release of "Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia" in 2000, the band gained a firm fan base in the college radio scene, followed by mainstream recognition, with the album going platinum in the UK, Australia and Greece. Iconic single "Bohemian Like You" featured in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and was used in a Vodafone advertising campaign through out Europe and Australia in 2001. The band used the advertisement money generated to buy a quarter city block in Portland, dubbed "The Odditorium", for use as film and recording studios, as well as being a clubhouse for the band to throw parties and host catered dinners.

2003's "Welcome to the Monkey House", co-produced by Nick Rhodes (Duran Duran), takes its title from Kurt Vonnegut's collection of short stories of the same name. One of the album's singles, "We Used to Be Friends", was used as the theme song for the Australian reality series "My Restaurant Rules", and later on the American cult drama "Veronica Mars". It also was used on episodes of "The O.C." and "Wonderfalls".

"Odditorium or Warlords of Mars" was released in 2005 and partially named after and recorded in the band's aforementioned Portland studio, and 6th album "...Earth to the Dandy Warhols..." was digitally released through a subscription service in May 2008, with the CD version following in August 2008.